Past Healer
by Tsukishiro
Summary: The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel... An incident sends him back into an alternate past... Will this ‘past’ actually help him or will it further send him into oblivion? Warning:AU OOC Yaoi Pairings:ItaNaru onesided SasuNaru
1. The Banishment From the Leaf

Hi there! Tsukishiro here!

This fic, as I said, will be the Yaoi version of "Past Healer". For those who have already read the non-Yaoi version of this fic, you do not need to read this first chapter as it is exactly the same as that one.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one sided SasuNaru

Flames are not welcomed.

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sends him back into the past and he now faces new dangers, emotions, and events because his arrival changed everything. Will this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or will it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter One – The Banishment from the Leaf**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun bathed the Hidden Village of Leaf with its radiance and warmth. Its heat evened out the cold temperature from the previous night.

The villagers got up from their slumber to prepare for the upcoming celebration, the _'Banishment of the Demon Child' _and the _'Return of the Uchiha Prodigy._'

It has been a year since the fight of the two beings at the Valley of End. Upon their return, the village welcomed their precious prodigy with open arms while the blond boy who brought him back was greeted with closed doors.

He was scorned, yelled at, shunned, cursed, and beaten by the angry villagers for hurting their precious shinobi and was blamed of being the reason why the raven boy left the village in the first place. Even the condition of his fellow shinobi who was on the mission with was blamed on him.

Built-up frustration, anger, and hate were no longer kept inside. Everyone in the village requested for the execution of the demon child with reasons that he was the cause of the village's misfortune. At first their plea was ignored but their constant yelling slowly earned them their Hokage's attention.

Tsunade was torn on what to do. There was no way that she would let the villagers execute her beloved 'surrogate brother.' In fact, the moment the brat was back and got attacked by the raging mob, she immediately dispersed some Anbu to the location to retrieve the boy to her office.

The golden boy was already beaten from his fight with the Prodigy and the villagers made him worse.

She healed most of the deep wounds and broken bones with her chakra while the rest were healed by her apprentice and assistant, Shizune.

She was hoping, hoping that someone would come and knock at her office to help her defend the boy…

But no one came…

The mob that had formed at the base of the Hokage tower made it impossible for people to pass and the Jounins were trying their best to keep the mob under control.

Later, she then found out that a few villagers has finally revealed to the younger generations about the nine-tailed fox.

Hate and fear were now evident in the children's eyes, save for a few who couldn't care less about the damn fox and considered the blond boy as their friend.

But still…

They were not enough…

Tsunade needed at least half of the villagers or majority of the council members to side with her in defending the poor boy.

But this was an impossible feat.

The council hated the boy for they blame him for death of their precious fourth Hokage and the defection of their precious Uchiha.

The villagers hated the boy for they blamed him as the cause of their loved ones' death.

Even his teammate, Haruno Sakura, hated him for hurting her 'Sasuke-kun' ad called him a demon in the process, shattering to poor boy's heart into pieces.

In front of Tsunade was the said boy, Uzumaki Naruto, who was seated on the couch with his gaze on the table before him.

His sapphire blue orbs which were once filled with life and energy were now dull and lifeless. They no longer have that shine of strength and determination it once held when she first met him.

He may appear alive and well from the outside (Thanks to Tsunade and Shizune's healing), but deep inside he was dying.

Ever since he was a small boy, he was already hated by the villagers with reasons he didn't know. He tried to ask once but ended up getting spit upon, yelled, cursed, and beaten. Since then, he never asked again and shut himself from the outside world.

He never showed it but everything they did to him was stabbing him in the heart.

The glares, the whispers, the hatred, and the killer-intent from the villagers were slowly devouring him, further pushing him into the darkness of his being.

But he was strong and found a way to cope with the pain, and that was his 'façade.'

Being loud and obnoxious helped him tune out the whispers and the hate, acting stupid and pulling pranks helped lighten up his mood, and wearing a fake smile helped him hide his real emotions.

Yes…

Everything the people knew about the blond was a lie…

None of it was real

None of it was true

No one knew of his mask of deception

Save for one man…

Umino Iruka

He was actually the only one who had given the blond the very thing he needed the most

Acceptance

Love

Acknowledgement

Respect

Iruka was the first one who accepted the boy for who he is…

Iruka was the first who assured him that he was not the demon…

Iruka was the first who acknowledged his existence…

And also…

Iruka was his first friend…

And now…

Iruka was his father figure…

Iruka gave him the love he needed to keep himself sane

But even so…

Umino Iruka was not enough…

He needed more…

He needed more friends to reassure him that he was fine…

He needed more friends to reassure him the he was alive…

…that he was human…

When he became Genin, he thought that he will finally gain what he needed the most…

A friend…

But not just any friend… a friend who was actually of his own age group, something he never had in his entire life…

Uchiha Sasuke

These two became rivals, friends, and brothers at the same time. They may not be related by blood but that does not stop them from forming a bond.

And that was the very first bond Naruto has ever made with someone of his own age…

The villagers were furious with the 'demon' of befriending their important Uchiha prodigy but did nothing…

They left the two alone and were sure of themselves that their precious Uchiha will realize his mistake and will never talk to the 'demon' again…

And then… there was Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother who killed their entire clan to test his skills for power.

The young Uchiha made it his goal to avenge his clan and revive it

So he had to get stronger…

He needed to get stronger so as to be able to kill his brother who single-handedly wiped the Uchiha clan clean, leaving no one alive except him…

Why?

Only the older raven knows…

The young raven male's quest for power and revenge has blinded him from the real strength and power that surrounded him…

His quest and obsession for revenge has engulfed him into the abyss of loneliness and darkness…

When he met the snake sannin at the forest of death during the Chuunin exam, he was given the chance for power but first declined it…

When he saw the feats that the dead-last of the group was able to perform, he was completely blinded by jealousy over his teammate…

_How was he able to strengthen himself in such a short period of time? _

_How was he able to reach, or maybe exceed him in power?_

The Uchiha then had made his decision…

To go into the pit of the snake to gain power…

But to his dismay, Naruto went after him with hopes of bringing him back…

The blond dobe has made a promise to a certain pink-haired shinobi that he will bring Sasuke back…

Not only was the blond able to convince the Sharingan-user that real power cannot be gained by short cuts, seals, and jutsus, he was also able to convince the raven boy that going to Orichimaru can never help him avenge his clan

Luckily, Naruto was able to say all this before Sasuke passed out from exhaustion and chakra depletion.

But after all that, he was further shunned by the village and accused him…

But what really hurt him was the fact that his teammate, his friends, his teacher, and other Jounins whom he was close to didn't help him…

They didn't even spare him a glance of sympathy

Instead

They glared at him with indifference, hate, and disgust.

At first he was still able to take it…

But when his childhood crush approached him, snatched Sasuke from his grasp, punched him with all her strength, yelled all kinds of profanities you can think of, and called him a 'demon', his world was sent crashing down on him…

He then wondered…

Why was it always like this?

Why do they continue to hate him?

Why do they continue to push him away?

He tried so hard to help and protect them but instead was further hated by everyone…

He tried…

He tried so hard to get acknowledged…

He tried so hard to get the respect he had always wanted…

But why?

Why is it that no matter what he does, no one wants to accept him?

His best friend betrayed the village, when Sasuke was brought back he was welcomed back with open arms and warm smiles…

But when they saw the blond, their faces changed into that of hate and disgust…

Why was it always like this?

He never betrayed anyone and yet he was treated like trash…

Why can't they see that he is not the demon?

Why can't they open their eyes to the truth?

Naruto was brought out of his thoughts when Tsunade kneeled in front of him, holding his hand and squeezing it gently as if to reassure him.

With his dull sapphire eyes, he stared into the copper-brown ones of the Hokage.

Tsunade frowned from the soulless look her beloved 'younger brother' was giving her.

She took a deep breath and began to speak…

"Naruto, I have an idea" she said as she smiled warmly at him

w-w-w

On that same day, the Hokage announced that she will not let the boy be executed. Instead, he was to be banished from the village and never to return again. The villagers were about to protest when she slammed her fist on the ground, creating a huge crack on the solid ground and at the same time, causing an earthquake.

"I am the Hokage and my decision is absolute! Question my decisions again and I am going to make sure that you will be dealt with accordingly"

With that, the hokage left the scene and proceeded towards her office to sign the papers for the boy's banishment from the village.

It was also on that same day when the blond boy was escorted out of the village up to the borders of Leaf.

Then, he was left to be on his own…

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

Hmm… I have nothing much to say…


	2. The Red Flash

So here's chapter two where the differences will begin.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one sided SasuNaru

Flames are not welcomed.

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sends him back into the past and he now faces new dangers, emotions, and events because his arrival changed everything. Will this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or will it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter Two – The Red Flash**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

The sky was filled with an orange hue while the sun began to set towards the west. The Village of Konohagakure was busy preparing for an upcoming event.

Stalls of various kinds were set as food of different variety were prepared and cooked.

Games, programs, and activities were carefully planned by the adults while the children were left to play.

The people were celebrating the anniversary of a certain event that happened exactly a year ago.

'The Banishment of the Demon Child' and the 'Return of the Uchiha Prodigy.'

Almost all the villagers in the leaf were rejoicing for their prodigy's return and the disappearance of the demon from their life.

Only a few were still mourning for the loss of the Kyuubi vessel but dares not to show it in public to avoid scrutiny.

Watching the event below was a lone figure, seated on top of the Hokage monument.

The said figure was a male wearing the standard Anbu uniform but has a darker color, making it look almost black.

On his right arm was an Anbu tattoo, indicating that he truly is an Anbu Shinobi.

His face was covered with a white mask with red markings as his head was covered with a black bandana, hiding any strand of hair as well as his hair color.

Overall when you look at him, his entire body was concealed, leaving him unidentifiable to anyone.

He just sat there, not moving, not caring, as if he was reminiscing about something.

_(A/N: The difference will start here. :D)_

He was brought out of his musings when the tattoo on his arm started glowing, indicating that he was being summoned by the Hokage herself.

He sighed before standing, he gave the village one more glance before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

-o-o-o-o-o-

In the Hokage's office, a number of Shinobi were summoned for reasons only the Hokage know.

There was Uchiha Sasuke, the rookie Prodigy of the village and one of the last Sharingan user left. Upon his return to the village a year ago, his mind was set on getting himself stronger without the aid of a certain snake.

So the moment he was released from the hospital, he immediately approached his sensei, Kakashi, to train him in order to make him stronger. The said teacher immediately obliged without second thought.

The training paid off and he began climbing the ranks, from Genin to Chuunin to Jounin and to Anbu in only six months. He was now an Anbu captain with a high rank and was greatly respected by almost everyone.

Then there was Haruno Sakura, the pink-haired Kunoichi who was obsessed with the Uchiha since their academy days, even until now. She became a medic Nin under the teachings of the Hokage, thanks to Kakashi's suggestion and much to Tsunade's displeasure as the girl was one of the many individuals who had hurt her 'little brother.'

Her gifted intelligence and perfect chakra manipulation enabled her to become adept in the art of healing, making her a prodigy in that field.

Next was Nara Shikamaru, a lazy Jounin who preferred lying on the ground and watch the clouds pass by instead of training or doing missions. His intelligence of having an IQ over 200 was highly valued by the village, especially by those who knew and worked with him.

He was one of the few who were not happy when their blond friend was banished from the village for no good reason. He held the feeling of indifference towards the Uchiha as he was the reason why it all happened.

Hyuuga Hinata and Hyuuga Neji were also present. These two Byakugan users were also prized in the village because of their eyes. Hinata became a Jounin because of her strong will to become stronger, thanks to a certain blond Shinobi who helped raise her self confidence while Neji became an Anbu because of his skills and mastery of his bloodline.

These two were close to the Demon Vessel and were devastated when their friend was banished from the village, making them hate the council and the villagers with passion but kept their emotions in check.

Akamichi Chouji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Yamanaa Ino were also in the group. Kiba became a Jounin and specializes in tracking wanted individuals. Chouji and Ino were Chuunin and decided to remain that way. Chouji was prized for his inhuman strength and family ability, while Ino went under the teachings of Morino Ibiki in the art of interrogation.

These three were shocked when they found out that the Demon Kyuubi was actually sealed inside their friend. At first they were angry and hated the boy for being the demon and hiding it.

But after some time and some thinking, they realized that blaming or hating the blond was wrong as he had no control over the events that had happened.

They regretted their actions and hoped for a second chance to apologize to the whiskered boy who was, all along, innocent in his entire life.

Aburame Shino was also in the group, a bug-user specialist who became an Anbu because of his skills and intelligence. He was the silent one of the group who rarely speaks unless it was something important.

Rock Lee, the green-spandex wearing Shinobi who became a Jounin with only his Taijutsu skills was also called in. His strength and speed were a force itself to be feared, thanks to the tutelage of another, green spandex wearing Shinobi.

This thick-browed Shinobi was also among the group who was saddened of the loss of their blond friend.

Tenten was supposed to be in the group but was currently on a solo mission. She was also a Jounin and a weapon expert at that. Her mastery in all kinds of weaponry earned her respect from male and female Shinobi alike.

Finally, there's Hatake Kakashi, the famous copy-cat Shinobi who has the Sharingan. He was the former sensei of team seven and was the one who trained the young Uchiha.

So all eleven Shinobi were in the room, waiting for their Hokage to explain why they were summoned. They were informed that they were still missing one individual who will be joining the group for the upcoming mission.

At that moment, a swirl of leaves appeared beside the Hokage and later revealed a man wearing an Anbu uniform. Collective gasps were heard as they recognized who the new comer was.

"Aka Furasshu" the Uchiha prodigy worded out with a monotonous voice.

Sasuke glared at the man with annoyance as he knew that Aka Furasshu was currently the strongest Shinobi around. His capabilities and success in missions thrown at him were superb

Hell, he was a whole way better than the Uchiha Prodigy! The others were aware of this but remained silent about it, of course since they do not want to face the infamous Uchiha death glare that Sasuke was so good at.

The reason for the name is because of his incredible speed and the color of his chakra.

While normal shinobi has either blue or green chakra, his was red crimson.

At first they thought that he was Kyuubi because of the color but dismissed it since the feeling of the chakra had no killer intent and blood-lust in it. Instead, even though it's color was intense, it had that aura of sereneness and calmness.

"Okay, so now that everyone is here, let us start the mission briefing." The hokage stated as she brought out a scroll.

"There has been word of an ancient place containing all kinds of ancient artifacts from the past. It was said that these artifacts contain mysterious power and one rumor has it that one of those artifacts can give an individual immortal life." She stopped and observed the reactions of the Shinobis before her.

All were silent while the others were aware of what this meant.

"Since this will be about immortality, then we can presume that Orochimaru would want it, right?" the Hyuuga male said calmly

The Hokage nodded before continuing

"So I want you all to go to the said location and bring back all artifacts you can so that we can protect it. Aka Furasshu and Shikamaru will be leading this mission and you will leave tomorrow at 5 o'clock. That is all; details of the mission will be given tomorrow as well. Dismissed."

When everyone was about to leave, Tsunade suddenly called out

"Aka Furasshu, you stay here, I want to have a word with you." She said, earning her a nod from the masked Anbu.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Everyone else left the office, knowing that the Hokage would be having a private talk with her prized Shinobi.

It has been no secret that Aka Furasshu was the Hokage's favorite since she favored him more than anyone. The said man was also close to the Hokage's assistant, Shizune. There were also rumors that the Hokage has been using the Anbu as her source of luck.

How?

By dragging the said Anbu to the Casinos or gambling houses and letting him chose the number, the card, or whatever it is that she needed to win a bet or a gamble.

Yes, the Hokage was using him as her improvised lucky charm so her winning was not a sign of bad omen.

-o-o-o-o-o-

After the meeting, the summoned Shinobi made their way to their respective houses to prepare for their mission tomorrow.

Uchiha Sasuke made his way towards the Uchiha Estate by jumping from roof to roof, avoiding the crowd as much as possible.

When he reached his destination, he looked at the villagers who were having a good time celebrating the day's event.

He scowled and looked at them with disgust.

'_How dare they turn the day his dobe was banished into a celebration?'_

Yes, _his_ dobe

Ever since the mission at the mist country, he had fallen for the blond boy in their encounter with the ice-mirror using Nin

His love for him grew when they encountered Gaara's sand demon, Shukaku.

As he watched his rival defeat the said demon with sheer determination to protect his friends, his respect for him grew as well as his feelings.

In fact, when he found out what happened to the blond when he woke up in the hospital, his love and respect for the village disappeared completely.

He was devastated from the news

He never showed it, but deep inside he regretted his past actions. He blamed himself as the reason why the blond was exiled from the village.

His quest for power just for revenge has blinded him from his friends

That's when he made his decision

He will train himself to be strong, no stronger than he was before.

He has pushed aside his quest for revenge as he set his mind towards another goal

And that is to get stronger… and once he was strong enough, he will find his teammate/ rival/ brother/ crush and bring him home.

If the village oppose to his actions, he will defend the boy from them, or he will leave the village, bring the blond with him, and never to return again.

After all the Kyuubi vessel has been through, there is no way that he will let him suffer much longer by the villagers' stupidity and ignorance.

(A/N: Aw! How sweet! It made me mushy:P)

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

Hi!

Many people have wondered, especially my friends, how in the world was I able to do so many things at the same time.

Simple, I'm ambidextrous, meaning I am capable of doing two or more task at the same time. He-he

So writing a story with two different versions can be accomplished by me, but let me tell you that it is not an easy task since I have other stories to write and new ideas kept popping into my head.

Sigh…

Oh well, who cares as long as I am enjoying myself with what I am doing, right?

So what do you think? Review please and make me happy!


	3. The Aka Furasshu's Identity

Wah! I was so surprised with the reviews! Thank you very much!

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one sided SasuNaru

Flames are not welcomed.

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sends him back into the past and he now faces new dangers, emotions, and events because his arrival changed everything. Will this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or will it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter Three – The Aka Furasshu's Identity**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

The twelve Shinobi made their way through the lush vegetation towards their destination. It was south of the village and was approximately a few miles away from them.

Because of their capabilities and ninjas, they were able to reach the designated place in the mission in only half a day.

The location was a wonderful sight to behold. Even though the place was in ruins, the vegetations, water, and animals that inhabited the area made up for the destruction that was once there.

Huge pillars made out of alabaster were standing tall and proud or tilted to the side, the stoned ground has cracks with plants sprouting from them and moss covered the broken walls of unidentifiable structures, a sure sign that the place has been inhabited by humans for over a long period of time.

Water has risen up from the nearby river up to a foot deep. Different kinds of fishes can be seen roaming about under the clear liquid and a few birds can be seen taking a bath from a distance.

All in all, even though it was old, wrecked, and infested with untamed life, it was a beautiful sight.

While the female shinobi of the group gazed at the scenery before them, the males took their time looking for a specific structure.

A temple

It is understandable that if ever there are ancient relics or artifacts owned by the former inhabitants of the place, it will be kept in holy grounds to protect it from the demons and evil spirits that they believed to exist.

The ancient people feared the darkness and don't want their valuable items to be tainted so they kept it within the bowels of the holy temples signifying light and purity.

The group moved on until they spotted a huge pyramid-like structure, obviously a temple, in the middle of all wreckage. Looking at it, it seemed that it was the only structure that did not suffer any destruction at all, as if it was protected from its downfall.

All twelve of them nodded in understanding and proceeded to the tall structure with great ease.

Upon arriving on top of the temple, they wasted no time searching for an entrance that will lead them inside.

The two Byakugan users used their bloodline, as well as the Sharingan user, to find an entrance but to no avail.

When the other shinobi were looking for the entrance, two of them were busy reading the text written in unknown language, trying to decipher it in case it will lead them to the wanted pathway.

"Aka Furasshu-sama" the pony-tailed lazy Jounin as he eyed the stone tablet containing the unknown words. "Do you think that this will lead us to the entrance?"

The Anbu was silent at first before deciding to speak

"Yes, it will" he answered with a monotonous voice.

The other shinobi heard their conversation and approached the pair, staring at the old stone tablet and trying to decipher it as well.

All of them had no idea what it meant. This was the first time ever that they have encountered such encrypted writing.

That is, when one of them began to speak…

'_The sun and the moon are brothers'_

'_To find the pathway that leads to the light'_

'_Align the gods, along with the moon and the sun, from its beginning up to its end'_

'_Face the sun where it rise and turn your backs to where the sun sets'_

'_Let the moon be your light as it will guide you to the right path'_

'_Remember that darkness came first before the light'_

"That's all" The masked Anbu finished

"You can actually read this?" the shocked pink-haired kunoichi asked

The Anbu remained silent and nodded; he then looked around, as if looking for something, earning him questionable looks from his fellow shinobi.

"What are you looking for? Aka Furasshu-sama" Neji asked

"Tablets… look for seven small tablets in this area. If you find one, bring it here." He ordered.

"YOSH!" The spandex wearing shinobi of the group exclaimed while thrusting his fist into the air with vibrant light shining at the background, "LET US FIND THE PIECES OF ROCK THAT AKA FURASSHU-SAMA NEEDED WITH OUR STRONG FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

The other shinobi slapped their head in embarrassment and nodded before beginning their search

They all searched. At the far corner of the temple, they found all seven tablets that the Anbu wanted and brought them near the stone tablet where the encrypted words were.

They looked at the pieces of stones carefully and noticed something engraved on them.

On one was the picture of the sun

On another was the picture of the moon

The other five, instead of pictures, have words engraved on them

Woden

Thor

Tyr

Saturn

Fria

"What does these mean? Shika" The big-boned shinobi asked his best friend

"I'm not sure, but these five" he pointed the five tablets that have words on them, "are the name of the gods"

There, they saw the unknown Anbu staring at something near the tablet. When they moved closer, they saw seven indentations on the ground which has the same shape and size at the tablet. It was in circular arrangement and a star adorned the one at the twelve o'clock position.

"So what are we going to do now?" Hinata asked

"We are going to wait"

"What for?" the Uchiha male asked

"If we follow this scripture, then we will need the moon in order for us to open the gate." With that, he left the group, only to return moments later with some wood at hand.

"We should rest for now and we would be needing torches for tonight." He said as he dropped the pieces of wood to the ground.

The female shinobi proceeded to wrapping one end of the wood with cloth bandages while Chouji proceeded to damping the wrapped end of the wood with oil.

The others left to gather food like fish, fruit, and meat since there was an abundance of life in the area.

They ate to their fill and waited for the moon to rise.

-o-o-o-o-o-

At the Hokage Tower, our favorite blond Hokage was busy wording out all kinds of colorful profanities while continuously signing documents and papers.

Well, just because she's the Hokage, it doesn't mean that she should slack off, which she does at a daily basis.

A knock on the door interrupted her and she called out for the person to come in.

At the door, was Shizune, he trusted assistant and protégé.

Even though Sakura was also under her tutelage, she never considered her as her student. She only taught her for the sake of the village that was in need of more medical Nins

The said assistant approached her teacher and handed her a bottle of Sake, giving her the desired break she needed. The Hokage smiled and thanked her while she brought out a sake cup, which was delicately designed with a small scenery with small flowers, from her desk.

"I wonder if their mission will be successful" the assistant asked while looking at the sky through the window.

"Of course it will, Aka Furasshu is there with them" the Hokage stated proudly.

When she was about to pour herself a cup of sake, the cup she was using suddenly cracked.

Both individuals eyed the broken item with shock evident in their faces.

"Isn't this cup…?"

"It is… it is what Aka Furasshu gave me on my birthday" the Hokage stated seriously

"A bad omen…"

"Let's hope not" she said as she slumped down on her chair and stared out the window.

'_Please be alright…'_

-o-o-o-o-o-

As night came and engulfed the sky with darkness, the moon provided enough light for the creatures dwelling the land to see by reflecting the sun's light.

On top of the ancient temple were twelve shinobi, preparing themselves for the unexpected if ever it arises.

The prepared wood for torches has been lit with a fire jutsu, thanks to the Uchiha, and lighted up the location where Aka Furasshu will be using the seven tablets from earlier.

'_The sun and the moon are brothers'_

'_To find the pathway that leads to the light'_

'_Align the gods, along with the moon and the sun, from its beginning up to its end'_

'_Face the sun where it rise and turn your backs to where the sun sets'_

'_Let the moon be your light as it will guide you to the right path'_

'_Remember that darkness came first before the light'_

He repeated before picking up the first piece, the moon piece, and placed it inside one of the indentation with the Star Mark on it. Then, he took the piece with the word 'Tyr' and placed it next to the moon piece, clockwise.

He then proceeded to placing the other pieces respectively at a clockwise position, making sure that all pieces are positioned in a way that the right side up portion is towards the east.

'Woden'

'Thor'

'Fria'

'Saturn'

And finally,

'The Sun piece'

Then they all heard a click sound from their right. When they looked at that direction, they saw something shining from a distance.

Shikamaru's eyes widened after a realization of what the words actually meant.

"I see, so that's what it meant"

Aka Furasshu smirked from under his mask. He's well aware of the lazy Jounin's intelligence and his capabilities of thinking hundreds of possible strategies in one situation and picking the best of the lot.

Yes, he's a genius and has the capabilities to be an Anbu but his laziness prevented him from doing so.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked as he eyed her former teammate

"May I?" the Lazy Jounin asked while staring at his fellow leader.

"Yes, please do" the masked Anbu stated as he approached the shining object.

"So, what does this mean?" Ino asked again

Shikamaru muttered 'troublesome' before proceeding to explain the puzzle.

"As you guys know that there are seven days in a week, right?" the other shinobi nodded

"Well, each of those days is represented, or represents something. Like Sunday representing the sun or Monday representing the moon or vice versa."

The others nodded again

"So now we know what the moon and the sun meant, what about the gods?" Hinata asked, still confused

"Well, those other five days were based from those gods, like Tuesday from the god Tyr, Wednesday from the god Woden, Thursday from the god Thor, Friday from the goddess Fria, and Saturday from the God Saturn."

"'_Align the gods, along with the moon and the sun, from its beginning up to its end'_ this means that we have to arrange those tablets in the proper order from the beginning to the end, so from Monday to Sunday or from Sunday to Saturday."

"It will confuse us first so that's where the last sentence comes in,_ 'Remember that darkness came first before the light'_, since the moon represents the darkness, the arrangement will start from the moon. So it's Monday to Sunday."

"'_Face the sun where it rise and turn your backs to where the sun sets'_, means that the tablets have to be turned in a way that we will be facing the east. To do so, we just position them where the bottom part of the tablet is at west while the top part will be towards the east."

"Wait" Kiba suddenly intervened, "Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Nope" the Jounin answered. "Why? Here, I'll show you."

Shikamaru stood before the tablets where he can see the tablets in an upright position, so now he was facing the east and his back was facing the west and said:

"If we did this the other way around, then our backs would be facing the east."

"And finally, the last part, '_Let the moon be your light as it will guide you to the right path'_, since it is dark, anything that shines will stand out." He then pointed towards the shining object that Aka Furasshu was slowly walking towards to.

"Thanks to the moon, its light got reflected by that item, making it shine, therefore making it easier for us to spot it."

The other shinobi oh'ed from Shikamaru's theory and was amazed how the people from ancient times

Aka Furasshu grabbed the shining object that was half buried on the ground and picked it up. Within seconds, another click was heard and the floor before him began to move, revealing a hidden staircase that would lead them inside the temple.

Each Shinobi grabbed one torch and made their way into the temple.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The inside was filled with numerous halls and corridors. The walls were covered with engraved ancient letters, symbols, and markings with moss overlapping some of them.

They passed through all of them until they found a spiral staircase, leading them deeper into the darkness.

Numerous doors filled the halls but none of them appealed the shinobi, until they reached a gigantic one filled with rune markings and symbols.

The masked Anbu used the shining object he had picked earlier and placed it in an indentation on the stone door.

Within seconds, the huge slabs of stone began to move and torches were automatically lit, making the room bright to reveal a room filled with scrolls, artifacts, charms, and talismans.

It was a good thing that a large group was assigned to this mission or else they would have to go back and forth to get them all back to Konoha.

While the others began sealing the bigger artifact into some scrolls, Aka Furasshu took his time wandering inside the ancient room.

He moved towards a bookshelf that was filled with bottles of unknown liquid.

He stared at them with great concentration, as if figuring out what those liquid are for, but in fact was deep in thought, reminiscing bout something.

At his right was Chouji who was busy carrying some scrolls but tripped on something and ended up hitting the shelf that Aka Furasshu was staring at.

The impact was strong and caused the shelf to tumble, causing some of the bottles to fall.

The masked Anbu was so deep in his thoughts and he didn't notice the falling bottles as it came crashing down on him.

The liquids the bottles contained now covered his entire face.

The combination of the unknown liquids irritated his skin which was so unbearable, forcing him to remove his mask and bandana that was covering his hair, some of the liquid managed to enter his eyes so he was rubbing them, hoping to ease the irritation

The big-boned shinobi was about to apologize but instead gaped at the sight before him. The other shinobi became curious about the commotion and moved closer to investigate. When they saw the now-unmasked Anbu, they were like perfect imitations of a fish.

Right before them was a man who has vibrant gold hair with crimson highlights, he was lightly tanned and the angle of his face made him look effeminate.

When the Anbu removed his hands from his eyes and tried opening them to regain his vision, the other shinobi gasped

He had sapphire blue eyes

Then they realized something…

_Blond hair, ignore the highlights_

_Lightly tanned skin_

_Blue eyes_

"Naruto?" Kakashi worded out, unsure if what he was seeing was real

The blonde's eyes widened in shock, _'No! This can't be happening!'_

"Dobe?"

He shifted his gaze towards the source of the voice, his sight still blurry

He stepped back, unsure of what to do

'_They now know… What should I do?'_

He was now close to panicking. He had completely no idea on what to do at this kind of situation

He stepped back further, trying to keep the distance between them but the others continued to approach him

"Naruto, is that really you?" Neji voiced out

All of them were unaware of where they were going as their attention was completely on the blond.

Naruto turned around to run away, but on his fifth step, he was suddenly surrounded by light.

The other shinobi stopped at their tracks and watched the scene before them.

Naruto was currently in the middle of a circle that was filled with symbols, unknown writing, and encrypted words.

Sasuke tried to approach the blond but the light was serving as a form of barrier, separating Naruto from them.

"NARUTO!"

The room was engulfed with bright light. When it finally went down, Naruto was no longer there.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!-?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Brightness filled the forest as it bathe in the warm glow of the sun. A team of three Anbu was patrolling the area when they suddenly sensed an unknown force. They stopped, scanned the area, and moved towards the source.

Upon arriving, they saw a figure lying on the ground.

The unidentified figure had bright blond hair that has red highlights and has a lightly tanned complexion.

The Anbu were staring at the unknown individual with great interest but what got their attention was what the person was wearing…

An Anbu Uniform

And around the Anbu's neck was a Hitae-ate

And the symbol on it was of the Leaf

"What should we do?" one of the Anbu asked

"Carry him and we shall report this to the Hokage"

"Hai! Itachi-sama!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

Whew! That went well…

So what do you think?

Review:D


	4. The Konoha that has no Kyuubi

Wah! I was so surprised with the reviews! Thank you very much!

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one sided SasuNaru

Flames are not welcomed.

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sends him back into the past and he now faces new dangers, emotions, and events because his arrival changed everything. Will this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or will it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter Four – The Konoha that has no Kyuubi**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

_The dark eerie night engulfed the Country of the Leaf. The sounds of chirping crickets filled the empty night as the moon shone brightly in the black, starry sky._

_All of the village's inhabitants, save for some shinobi who were on guard duty at that time, were now in slumber to regain their energy to perform their daily tasks the next day._

_Although numerous houses were found within the walls of Konoha and all Konoha citizens lived there, outside, far north of the Hokage tower, lies a lone house that was occupied by a single shinobi of the Leaf_

_The house was small with all the necessary rooms, a living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and bedroom. There's also a small garden at the back that has a pond with numerous fishes._

_Inside the bedroom lies the owner of the said house. Currently lying on his futon, he has golden blond hair with crimson highlights and blue azure eyes. Unlike the villagers, this individual was wide awake and stared endlessly on his wooden ceiling as sleep continuously escapes his grasp._

_He sighed; certain that sleep will not come over him this night, just like the other nights before this_

_He got up slowly and proceeded to his backyard garden, his slim and petite figure was garbed in a plain blue yukata. Thanks to the gentle moonlight, his slender, delicate, and effeminate form was illuminated._

'_Can't sleep Kit?'_ a voice asked in his mind

"_Yes" he answered vocally, not caring if someone heard him_

'_You really need to get some sleep Kit, its really bad for your health of you don't'_

"_I understand, Kyuubi. But not tonight, I guess"_

_A presence was sensed from the distance but the Kyuubi vessel did not tensed, for that person was someone he knew well_

"_Can't sleep again brat?" a voice called out_

_He turned around to face the new comer who was a well-endowed blond woman before replying "Yes"_

_The woman sighed and approached the blond, placing her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him warmly_

"_How are you feeling? You're not feeling any complications from the merging, are you?" she asked_

_It has been two weeks since the Kyuubi vessel has merged with his tenant. The ordeal, which lasted for three days, was long and painful._

_The process was dangerous and sudden chakra explosions were constant. The only reason why no one sensed it was because of the two Sannin who put-up a barrier around the boy for protection_

_The merging resulted to Naruto earning all of Kyuubi's power, chakra, skills, techniques, and knowledge._

_His physical appearance changed as well, since the blond boy already had a slightly effeminate form; it made him more effeminate but still held his masculinity._

_His other physical changes were the appearance of the crimson highlights in his hair, disappearance of his whisker marks, and the paleness of his skin._

_His changes towards the feminine side were due to the fact that Kyuubi was actually a 'she' and this shocked the two legendary Sannin. So if the blond decided to wander around a populated area, there was no doubt that there will be a mob of people who will be lusting for him, regardless of his gender._

_The blond shook his head_

"_I'm fine. No complications whatsoever, Tsunade-obaa-chan" he chirped with a grin_

_Over the times, Naruto managed to rebuild his 'mask' again_

_But in this situation_

_That 'mask' was not necessary, especially when he is alone with his precious people_

_Tsunade_

_Jiraiya_

_And of course…_

… _Umino Iruka_

_Two presences were felt but were never thought of as a threat. Basing it on the person's chakra, the unknown, approaching individuals were someone they knew._

_Out from the bushes were two males, a man with shoulder-length brown hair tied up into a ponytail, and a horizontal scar ran along the bridge of his nose, and a man with white long hair with vertical red lines running through his cheeks from his eyes._

"_Iruka-sensei, Ero-Sennin" Naruto called and received a nod_

"_Hello Naruto. Good evening Hokage-sama" the scarred Chuunin greeted._

_It was thanks to these three people that Naruto was back to the land of the living. Its not like he was close to death from that 'incident', in fact he was far from it, but his spirit was shattered into hundreds of pieces and his soul was killed._

_He was really a pitiful sight at that time, lying on his bed, not moving, not eating, not drinking, and not even sleeping. His eyes were empty and void of energy, in other words, they were dull and lifeless_

_It was a pitiful sight indeed, but because of the undying efforts made by them, he was back and alive again. In fact, they even held a small party to celebrate his return with just the four of them._

_It was at that time when the three adults got a glimpse of the boy's real smile_

_Not forced, not fake, not a 'mask'_

_But a real smile filled with emotion_

_Not wanting to risk loosing him again, his condition and location was kept under wraps and only the three of them knew of it._

"_So tomorrow will be the day when I finally become an Anbu" the blond boy worded out_

_The female Hokage nodded, as well as the Chuunin teacher and the frog hermit._

"_Are you still going to pursue your dream of becoming a Hokage?" Iruka asked_

_They were engulfed in silence before the blond decided to answer_

"_No. it's no longer possible for me"_

_The three adult frowned at the unexpected answer but Naruto continued_

"_But I have a goal… and that is to get stronger" he looked at them in the eyes, "so that I can protect my precious people"_

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eleven shinobi made their way through the thick, lush forest after succeeding in gathering all the ancient relics and artifacts from the temple.

All of them had one thing in mind

'Go to Tsunade-sama'

Their minds were now filled with questions about a certain shinobi, specifically the Anbu, Aka Furasshu

Why does he look a lot like Naruto?

No, scratch that. Is Naruto and Aka Furasshu really the same person?

If so, then why the physical changes? There's no way that a person can change that quickly in under a year; from a chubby, child appearance to an elegant and graceful physique may be possible but not if it is under a year.

But Naruto was wearing a horrid, baggy, orange jumpsuit in the past so nobody can really tell if he was chubby or slim underneath.

And his face

For Sasuke, it was already a sight to behold, that is, if you look carefully. But all that was hidden under the blonde's baby fat.

Those blue sapphire eyes that shone with brilliance, whisker-like marks that made him look feral but tamable, and those golden blond locks that spiked at all direction topped everything.

In the past, the young Uchiha can already imagine what Naruto might look like in the future.

Small but feminine, delicate-looking but strong, well-built and a bit muscular but slim and slender, he was both masculine and feminine at the same time.

And all those qualities, Aka Furasshu had them all.

The Mysterious Anbu also had the skills, the power, and the knowledge to be better than anyone

And indeed, he was better than Sasuke…

And may be better than the Hokage herself

The raven frowned

How can that happen?

Naruto was the dead-last of the group! There's no way that he can be better than the prodigy

Stupid, loud, annoying, boisterous, hell all those traits were the opposite of what the Anbu have

So after finally seeing the Anbu's face, emotions that were once kept hidden were shot back in full force.

Anger, fear, hate, pity, regret, despair, anguish

Emotions that they have worked so hard to keep under control and away from curious eyes were now surfacing

They became desperate, desperate for answers as questions continued to pile up inside their minds.

If Naruto was indeed Aka Furasshu, then why weren't they informed?

Why was he kept hidden?

Why did he not tell anyone?

Weren't they his friends?

Then the realization of the facts hit them, HARD

If they were friends, then why didn't 'they' help him? Why didn't 'they' protect him?

Instead they were afraid and disgusted with the blond boy after learning of his darkest secret

The Kyuubi no Youkai

They felt anger, fear, and hate towards the blond ninja for hiding such a dangerous secret

Why not? He's a risk to the safety of everyone

The village

His friends

His teammates

It was only after two weeks when they realized that they were wrong

Gravely wrong

Having a demon sealed inside him was something he had no control of since he was just born at that time

As a new born infant, he has no idea of what was going on

It wouldn't be surprising if the infant would start giggling and reaching for the enormous demon, thinking it's a giant fox plushie!

But at that time it was already far too late

The Kyuubi vessel has been banished from the village and finding him and getting him back would be far from possible

After all the treatment he got from the villagers and friends, having a decent talk with him would be impossible

But who could blame him?

All he wanted was to acknowledged

After all the things he had done, after all the promises he had made and kept, after all the efforts he have made to keep his village safe

What did he get?

Glares, harsh whispers, curses, and killing-intent

It was unbelievable to see him stand back up after being pushed down

The one thing they didn't count was that…

Everything or everyone has their own limits

-o-o-o-o-o-

The sun shone endlessly and pierced almost every dark corner of the village Konohagakure.

Birds chirped happily in the air and villagers intermingle with one another through the crowded streets

Their chatters, talks, whispers, and gossips filled the air as the sound of laughing children joined in

A few kilometers from the main town, away from all the noise and hassle, lays the Konoha Hospital, after all, if a patient is to recover properly, he had to be in a quiet and peaceful environment

Inside that five-storey building, inside one of its private rooms was a man, sleeping on a white-sheeted bed.

His golden locks with red highlights gently framed his face as he lay there peacefully, undisturbed by anything

Or so we thought…

The blond male has already regained consciousness half an hour ago but the disturbance a few feet from him made him stay where he was

Just outside his room were several female nurses giggling and peeking through a slightly opened door.

This kind of typical female behavior was irritating for the said male and he was sure that if he does wake up, he would be bombarded by questions regarding about his personal life

Especially his love life…

He sighed mentally, there's no way that he's going to speak freely about those kinds of things

'_Having problems Kit?'_ his tenant asked

'_Kind of… the worst kind actually…'_ Naruto replied mentally

His tenant snorted, _'girl trouble I see…'_

'_Do me a favor and shut up'_

The giggling and whispers just outside his room stopped. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he could tell that those nurses had fled the area when a new comer arrived. The sound of the door being slid open was heard and the sound of footsteps reached his ears

A pregnant silence filled the room before he finally decided to speak

"I know you're awake, so stop pretending" the new comer said

The blond opened his eyes slowly, wincing from the sudden outburst of light into his eyes. Ignoring the slight pain on his body, he got up into a sitting position and eyed the new comer wearily.

The individual was wearing an Anbu uniform and had a weasel mask on, making him unidentifiable. Unhidden by the mask was the Anbu's long raven hair tied up into a lone ponytail. From his physical appearance, the said male was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen, and has a well-built physique, obviously the result of training.

He was very young to be an Anbu but the blond can't say anything about it since he's thirteen and an Anbu as well.

While the blond continued to study the man before him, the Anbu male was also studying the blond himself

Judging from physical appearance, the blond was definitely male but can be mistaken for a female because of his looks.

Slim, slender, very feminine but masculine at the same time

For some strange reason, the Anbu felt something towards the blond stranger but was unsure of what it was so he shrugged it off.

He notice the blond has stopped studying him and has started looking for something

"If you're looking for your clothes, it has been confiscated" he said then pointed to a chair with clothes on it at the end of the bed. "You can use those and change. I'll wait for you outside and escort you to see the Hokage" with that, he left and stood just outside the door.

Obviously confused, the bond complied and gathered the clothes on the chair and undressed himself from the hospital gown he was wearing.

Before going out, he stretched his unused muscles before proceeding to go with the Anbu.

Out from the hospital, they walked towards the Hokage tower where the Hokage was at work. They passed through the busy streets of the village and Naruto can tell that there was something that's not right.

Instead of the usual hateful glares and whispers, he received awed and blushing glances from the villagers which were something that had never happened before.

He cringed when he spotted a group of young females and males staring at him with lustful eyes and appeared to be refraining themselves from pouncing on him on the spot because of the Anbu escort.

'_This is new'_ the fox suddenly voiced out

Naruto remained silent and continued to follow the Anbu. When they were nearing the tower, the blond glanced up to look at the Hokage monument and stopped in his tracks, making the Anbu stop as well.

His escort frowned under his mask as he was wondering why the blond was wearing a shocked expression from looking at the monument. He looked at it as well and saw nothing wrong with it, fully oblivious to the internal debate the blond was having with his tenant

'_Kyuubi-nee, what's going on here, where's Tsunade obaa-chan's face?'_

'_I have no idea Kit; maybe you should ask the Hokage about this when you meet with him/her'_

'_All right'_

The pair continued their walk until they have finally reached the Hokage's office. A light knock was made by his escort and moments later, a voice muffled by the door was heard saying 'come in'

The Anbu opened the door and gestured the blond inside

Naruto was already shocked form the changes in the village, now he was more shocked after seeing who was seated on the Hokage's chair

Young…

Blond hair…

Bright blue eyes…

"Yo-Yondaime-sama?" Naruto stuttered out, unsure what to make with this

The man seated on the chair tilted his head out of confusion due to the blonde's shocked expression.

'_Why would he be shocked like he had seen a ghost?'_ the Hokage wondered

Another knock was heard and the door opened, revealing an elderly man garbed in white Hokage robes

Everyone in the room eyed the new comer

Naruto became pale after recognizing the old man and was noticed be the Yondaime Hokage

'_What's wrong with him? He appears like he really had seen a ghost'_ the Yondaime wondered

"Are you all right" the fourth Hokage called out as the other two individual glanced at the blond as well

The Sandaime's shocked appearance went unnoticed since the other two were concerned about the blond stranger

'_If you ignore the red highlights, this boy would be a younger version of Arashi-kun'_ the old man mused

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you still alive?" Naruto blurted out, "You're supposed to be dead!"

The Anbu stood right in front the Hokage after ushering the older one to move away from the blond, preparing himself for a possible attack that might be initiated by the blond male

"Why do you say that?" the fourth asked calmly, ready to defend himself and the old man

"Kyuubi…"

The name earned the young shocked faces from those in front of him

"You died sealing him! You died protecting this village from Kyuubi!"

"I'm sorry but you are mistaken young man" the third Hokage finally spoke, "Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox demon from the legends did not attack this village at all. In fact, we don't think that it even existed"

"No way…" Naruto stammered, his knees weakened from the shock

At that moment, the doors slammed opened revealing a small boy with golden blond hair and cerulean blue eyes, similar to that of the Hokage

"Otou-san!" the small boy called out and ran towards his target.

The Anbu tensed, fearing for the young boy's safety but relaxed as the boy passed the unknown male unharmed

"Otou-san!" the boy called again and glomped his father's leg at the same time

"What's wrong? Naruto" the man asked

'_Naruto?'_ Naruto then looked at the younger version of himself, _'that's me… as a child… then the Yondaime was actually my…'_

Naruto's shocked face didn't go unnoticed. The two Hokage were now eyeing the blond carefully, still confused why the he was behaving like that.

The blond (older Naruto) was now hyperventilating, his heart rate increased rapidly and he's perspiring cold sweat.

'_Kit! Calm down! You're going to lose yourself if you don't!'_ the demon roared, not liking this one bit

The Kyuubi vessel nodded and began to take deep breaths, calming his nerves down a bit but it was not enough

'_I have to get out of here'_

Making some seals with speed unseen by the naked eye, Naruto vanished from the room in a puff of smoke

'_He's fast!'_ the Anbu mused _'I didn't even see him start the seals'_

"Itachi! Have your team search for him! Judging by his speed, I can tell that he's at least Jounin level, labeling him dangerous. But I want him back here unharmed, understand?"

The raven Anbu saluted and disappeared in a puff of smoke

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eleven Shinobis made their way towards the Hokage tower without wasting time. They jumped from roof to roof and made haste towards their destination

Questions filled their clouded minds and they hope that the Hokage would willingly provide them with clearing answers.

But judging the female Kage's relationship with the blond boy, it would not be easy especially after the way they had treated her 'little brother'.

They can't blame her or anyone else but themselves for not being there when their 'friend' needed them the most. In fact, whenever they were given a mission by her, she never smiled at them. She would only give them the necessary information they would need for a mission, hand them the scroll, and dismiss them.

Nothing more…

Entering the tower, they made their way to the office, ignoring passersby and yelling shinobi whom they managed to bump into. They slammed the door to the office open and forced their way inside, destroying the frame of the door in the process.

A vein bulged from the Hokage's forehead and was about to yell when she noticed someone was missing

Her heart skipped a beat

'_The bad omen'_

"Where's Aka Furasshu-kun?" she asked, waiting for the shinobis before her to regain their composure

Sasuke got up first and approached her desk, placing all the sealed scrolls with the artifacts on the surface

"He disappeared, Hokage-sama" he said monotonously

The pen she was holding snapped from her strong grip eyeing the Uchiha before her with narrowed eyes

"What do you mean by that? Uchiha" she asked with venom in her voice, obvious that she does not like this one bit

She did not flinch when Sasuke slammed his palms on her desk and was giving her his infamous death glare.

"Hokage-sama, I want an explanation. Is Aka Furasshu really Naruto?"

"What do you mean? Uchiha"

"I saw his face. He looked exactly like that dobe"

"Might be a coincidence"

"There's no coincidence! He's Naruto, isn't he? Why was he hiding!-? Why weren't we informed!-?"

Tsunade slammed her fisted hand on her desk, breaking the furniture in half. The other shinobi gulped in fear of the Hokage's monstrous strength and was wise to remain silent, but the prideful Uchiha didn't give a damn about it

"DON'T USE THAT TONE ON ME UCHIHA!"

"I don't give a shit about it! Why were you hiding him?"

A maniacal laugh was heard, emitted by a very angry Hokage. The Anbu stationed outside the office shivered in fear and were glad that they were out of the raging female's sight.

The shinobis in the room paled and shivered from the killer aura of the Godaime with voices shouting in their minds to 'run away or face her wrath!'

Despite their mind's warning, they stayed, rooted in place, unmoving, earning them new found respect by the Anbu outside who were at awe of their bravery while in fact the shinobis were scared shitless in their pants and doesn't have the guts to move and inch.

"So now it's my fault?" She asked while maintaining her monotonous tone.

"Whose fault was it that I have to hide him? Whose fault was it that he was treated like trash after you (Sasuke) betrayed us? Whose fault was it that his spirit was broken into tiny pieces that were so hard to pick up when you (the others) rejected and hurt him?" she then pointed to the dark-haired shinobi in front of her

"You" the she pointed to the other shinobi in the room, "all of you"

"You were the ones responsible why I have to resort to hiding him! After those stupid villagers broke Sandaime's law not to reveal the fact about Kyuubi, you then gang up on him? Blaming him? Calling him a monster, a demon while in fact he's not?"

"But Hokage-sama, he's the Kyuubi, right? So he's a de-" Sakura spoke but was cut-off

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade glared at them. "Get this fact drilled into your thick hard skulls that Naruto was not a demon! He was just born at that time for crying out loud! Hell he was only a few hours old when the nine-tailed demon fox attacked! So you still label him a demon? They're two different and separate existences! When he was born, Kyuubi was attacking this god-forsaken village!"

Tsunade massaged her temples for the incoming headache before continuing

"Seeing that you can't get it let me give you a more primitive example. Let us take a plastic bag which is empty. It's plastic, right? Let us then fill that plastic with water and tie it up, now we have two things, water and plastic. So tell me, now that the plastic was containing the water, does it become water?"

Seeing that they were out of words at the moment, she still continued

"Different, right? But if you still can't accept that fact then put yourself in his place. What if you were the one chosen to be the Kyuubi's container? What would you do if people hated you and blamed you for things you have no control off since you were still in diapers?"

Receiving no response, she dismissed them, fully aware that if this continues, she would wreck havoc and only her surrogate little brother can stop her.

"Naruto… I hope that you're all right…"

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

Ugh… too long… getting lazier by the minute…

Review:D


	5. The Replacement of the new Mask

Okay, I changed the summary a little so that it will fit the story better. Sorry if my earlier summary confused you. :)

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one-sided SasuNaru

Flames are not welcomed.

**Note: **I am not that good in grammar so don't flame me about it. I have no beta so that's that.

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sent him back into an alternate past, making him face new and familiar dangers, emotions, and events. Will this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or will it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

-o-o-o-o-o- ▫▫■▫▫

**Chapter Five – Replacement of a New Mask**

-o-o-o-o-o- ♪☼♫

-x-x-x-x-x-

On top of the Hokage monument sat a lone figure. Garbed in a simple pair of loose, hip-hugging cream pants and black shirt, he watched the village below him while deep in thought.

The village was peaceful. People filled the street as various sounds and noise filled the air.

The scent of fear and worry were absent, instead there was an abundance of confidence and contentment

It took a while for the individual to realize that this 'Konoha' was different from the one he knew and grew up in.

Instead of the occasional aura of fear, this place was booming with strength and pride.

_'I must be in a different time, the past maybe, but in an alternate Universe where Kyuubi never attacked or even existed'_

A number of fast-moving shinobis jumping from roof to roof caught the male's attention. He was fully aware that those ninjas were looking for someone, more specifically him so he masked his chakra perfectly to avoid detection.

'_Anbu? Aren't they to extreme to be using them just to find me?'_

'_They think that you are dangerous, kit. You executed your teleportation jutsu too fast'_

A sigh left the blonde's lips

'_Well, since this is an alternate universe, do you think I can get back?'_

'_I do not know, kit. But think about, you can have a new life here. No one knew of my existence so you can have a normal life. You no longer need to hide yourself and you can finally intermingle with the villagers without fear of being scorned or rejected'_ the great demon suggested

'_I'm not sure… but you're right. I can start a new life here but I can't let them see the real me… not yet…'_

'_I understand. And since we will be staying here for a long time, why not think of a new name for yourself?'_

'_Sure, why not? Do you have any suggestions?'_

'_Kaze. Uzumaki Kaze'_

'_Umm, is it wise to use my family name? What if it's my mother's maiden name?'_

'_Don't worry. The Uzumaki name never existed in the past. And from what I know, Arashi is a Kazama and was only allowed to marry females in the same clan, mush like the Uchihas and the Hyuugas'_

'_I see. So should I live here as a ninja or should I have a break?'_

'_Hmmm, have a break. Get to know this village first before you start playing ninja again'_

'_Playing Ninja?'_

'_Now that we got that settled, go to the Hokage and make up a story so they can feel safe to keep you'_

'_So now I'm a merchandise?'_

'_Shut up. You know what I meant'_

With a sigh, the blond performed a set of seals before disappearing in a puff of smoke

-o-o-o-o-o-

Arashi sighed at the back of his desk as he watched some of the Anbu look for that unknown boy.

The young blonde's words disturbed him. It disturbed him so much that he forgot to do his paperwork that was continuously building up by the minute.

Moments later, a puff of smoke emerged from the center of the room; within it was the wanted individual whom the Anbu can't seem to locate

"So you actually decided to come back?" the older blond stated jokingly, earning him a small smile from the boy.

"I wanted to apologize for my earlier actions Hokage-sama. I also wanted to apologize for the harsh words that escaped me as well for I was disoriented at that time." the boy said with a bow

'_For a kid, he sure is polite'_ the Hokage mused

"I wanted to ask you something about your outbursts from earlier. What do you mean by those?"

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama. Before I woke up at the hospital, I had a horrible nightmare about this village being destroyed by the great demon fox and you died protecting this place. As I have said before, I was so disoriented at that time so I thought it was real because it did felt real to me. I apologize again for the confusion that I have caused." The young blond answered

Not sensing any lie in his story, Arashi nodded

"Okay, I believe you. Is it alright if I ask you some simple questions?"

"Yes"

"Alright, let us start with what's your name, where do you live, and are you a shinobi?"

"My name is Kaze. Uzumaki Kaze. I lived in the forest and no, I'm not a shinobi"

"No? Then why were you wearing an Anbu uniform and also a leaf Hitae-ate?" the Yondaime asked as he leaned back to his chair. He offered a seat to his guest who declined

'_He call these** simple** questions!-?'_ the young blond mentally complained

'_You can't blame him kit. These **are **simple question **if** you are going to answer him truthfully'_

'_You know, you are not helping, at all!'_

'_I know'_ his tenant replied, followed with some snickers

"For the clothing I was wearing at that time, well let us say that curiosity and eagerness to try something new can really get a person to do something outrageous, but I am not going into details about that. How I got the clothing? Let us say that living in the forest has its own benefits"

"Why can't you tell me in detail?"

(A/N: From now on, I'll be calling Naruto 'Kaze')

Kaze forced himself to blush voluntarily and looked away. "Personal reasons"

Arashi took note the blush and deemed it as an embarrassing event for the boy so he decided not to go further into that topic

"Okay… So if you're not a shinobi, how come you know how to do the teleportation jutsu? Not to mention a perfect one at that. Also, I can tell that you have perfect chakra control which enabled you to avoid detection by my skilled Anbu"

'_He's smart, isn't he?'_ the blond mused

"Living in the forest has its own downfalls and benefits. For one, I often have constant contact with shinobis who pass through the place where I lived. I often find injured, hungry, and dehydrated ones as well whom I help to get back to full health. There were those who just thank me and left but there are also those who gave me something in return of my kindness."

The blond shifted slightly before he continued

"A year ago, I found one shinobi who was badly injured and was bleeding to death. I took him in and it took me three whole months to get him back on his feet. He was so grateful for my help that he decided to teach me about… ch… cha… chakri? No… chakula? Umm… chakra! Yeah"

The Yondaime sweat-dropped from the boy's mistake but remained silent

"So he taught me about chakra, what I can do with it, and how to control it. He stayed with me until I managed to control and mask my chakra perfectly which lasted for over two months. But before he left, he gave me two scrolls. One was about the different kinds of hand seals that ninjas use when performing a jutsu. The other was about the teleportation jutsu. Since I had nothing much to do at that time, I studied it and kept practicing it until I can do it flawlessly."

"So this teleportation jutsu is the only jutsu you can perform?"

"Yes"

'_Okay, so far I sense no lie in his story. It's either he's telling the truth of he's a very good liar. Judging how he held himself, I can tell that I can't squeeze anymore information about him'_

"Thank you for telling me everything. Do you want to be a citizen of Konoha? And maybe a shinobi for Konoha?"

"To be a citizen here, yes. But to be a shinobi of Konoha, no. I have no idea what a shinobi does and I think that I will only be a hindrance"

"Nonsense! You have the potential and I can have someone teach you personally"

'_What do I do? Kyuu-nee'_

'_Take his offer, but not right now. Ask for some time to think before you accept the offer'_

"I'm not so sure… But I'll think about it. I want to know what kind of village Konoha is first"

Arashi smiled from his answer and nodded

"But what should I do about my lodging?"

At that moment, a puff of smoke emerged once again in the middle of the room, but this time it was the Anbu who escorted Kaze from the hospital to the Hokage tower

"Ah! Itachi! You had just made my day!" The Hokage gleefully announced, too gleeful for the other two in the room

'_This is Itachi? I didn't even recognize his chakra, not even his voice'_

'_Of course you won't recognize him. He's younger here, so his voice is not as deep as you once knew and his chakra has not grown that much yet'_ Kyuubi stated

"What do you mean? Hokage-sama" the masked Anbu asked

"Kaze-kun here wanted to be a citizen here and I accepted. Since it was sudden, I have to find a suitable lodging for him, which may take days, weeks, or even months! So I want you to let him stay with you in the Uchiha compound"

"I don't think my father would approve of it"

"He will" Arashi insisted, "Because it will be an S-class mission for you. You are going to monitor Uzumaki Kaze 24/7 to make sure that he's not a spy or anything of the sort that will threaten Konoha. This will be a long-term mission so be prepared and remove your mask"

The Anbu nodded and removed his mask before placing it at the Hokage's table

Kaze was shocked by the Anbu's appearance; the male has long, silky raven hair, onyx orbs, and pale porcelain skin. He was exactly the same from the man Kaze knew but this one appears gentler.

'_Maybe this is the effect of having the Yondaime alive'_ the young blond wondered

The two males were then dismissed. As the two males left, the blond Hokage entered a room connected to his office to reveal the third Hokage, the Sandaime, sitting comfortable on a small couch and looking at a small crystal ball situated on a small table before him.

"So what do you think of him, Sandaime-sama?" the fourth asked

"I didn't sense any lie to his story. It's either he's telling the truth or he's an expert on lying" the old man spoke

Arashi nodded and moved towards the crystal ball which was currently overlooking the actions of a certain blond individual.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kaze was extremely uncomfortable with his little walk with Itachi towards the Uchiha compound.

Every individual in the streets they were passing through were looking at them with eagerness, curiosity, respect, jealously and… lust?

The young blond took a glance at the bystanders and shivered under their watchful gaze

'_Why do they look at us as if we're a chunk of good fresh meat?'_

'_Because you are one' the demon responded while grinning mischievously_

'_What do you mean?'_

-o-o-o-

Somewhere in the Hokage tower, two individuals, a blond and an old one, were sniggering at the predicament Kaze was in as they kept their eyes on the ball.

-o-o-o-

Kyuubi only snickered, making the blond sigh out of annoyance. He wasn't used to this kind of attention and it's scaring him. He looked at his escort and saw that he wasn't affected by the attention they were getting one bit.

'_Maybe he's used to it'_

The pair continued their way towards the Uchiha compound surrounded in a welcoming silence. When they got there, the raven immediately led the blond towards his own living quarters where the head of the family, his father Uchiha Fugaku, was located.

When they got there, they were welcomed by a woman with the same hair eye color as Itachi.

"Welcome back, how as your missi- oh, who's this?" the woman asked, eyeing the blond behind the raven.

"This is Uzumaki Kaze. He will be staying with us for the time being under Hokage-sama's orders, mother"

'_So this is their mother? She's beautiful'_ Kaze mused

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Uchiha Mikoto, Itachi's mother" the woman greeted as she bowed

"The pleasure's all mine, Uchiha-san" Kaze greeted back and bowed as well.

"Call me Mikoto, there's no need for formalities" she stated as she kept on switching her gaze from the blond to the raven, and vice-versa

Her actions earned a raised eyebrow from her son and a confused look from the blond.

The woman giggled, "So cute!" she exclaimed before leaving to continue her chores for the day.

'_What was that all about'_ both males thought

Itachi left Kaze in their leaving room to have a talk with his father about his current mission. Kaze obediently complied and sat there and waited patiently for him to return.

He just sat there, looking around occasionally, and waited

And waited

And waited until he heard small footsteps moving closer towards him. Judging from the speed and the softness of the thumps, he assumed that the source of the sounds was from a small child. Seconds later, the door was slammed open, revealing a small boy with short jet black locks and a pair of ebony orbs

"I'm home!" the child called out, which his mother replied to with a call from the kitchen.

The blond studied the small boy before him while the boy himself was studying him back.

'_This is Sasuke?'_ the blond thought, taking note of all the similarities this boy had with his older version

'_Who is this person?'_ the boy wondered

At that moment, Itachi arrived in the living room and was immediately glomped by the small raven

"Nii-san!"

Itachi only smiled to his younger brother before motioning him to introduce himself to their guest

"Hi there! My name is Sasuke; I'm Itachi's younger brother. It's nice to meet you" he said as he bowed down

'_Damn, he's completely different from the Sasuke I knew'_ Kaze mused as he bowed down before introducing himself as well

Sasuke was glancing at his older brother, switching to Kaze then vice versa. This earned him confused looks from Itachi and the blond

"Ne, Aniki, is she your girlfriend?" the boy suddenly blurted out

Itachi only raised an eyebrow from his brother's statement while Kaze choked on his saliva

"W-w-w-wh-what!-? M-me, a girl!-?" the blond stuttered, eyes wide open as he looked at the boy who 'was' his best friend in his own world

"Yes. Judging by your appearance, you're a girl, and seeing that you, who is obviously not an Uchiha, are actually inside the Uchiha compound and that your're with my brother, then you must be his girlfriend" the four-year old deduced

'_There MUST be some screws loose inside this brat's brain!'_

-o-o-o-

Arashi and Sarutobi were trying to stifle their laughter with their hands while watching the blonde's dilemma

-o-o-o-

"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not his girlfriend" Kaze stated, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance. "Why? Because I'm a guy"

Sasuke knitted his brows together, narrowing his eyes as he studied the blond. He tilted his head occasionally before finally giving his reply

"No way! You're a girl! If you're a guy then you should look cool like Aniki, but you're not. You look pretty so obviously you're a girl!"

-o-o-o-

The two Hokage's were now hollering in laughter as they couldn't hold it in anymore. Arashi was rolling on the floor while Sarutobi was banging his palm on the table while clutching his stomach. Their laughter was so loud that the shinobi that were positioned outside their office can clearly hear them.

"I wonder what Yondaime-sama and Sandaime-sama are laughing about" guard A wondered out loud.

"Beats me…" guard B responded and proceeded to reading a small orange book with a blush on his face.

-o-o-o-

Kaze's jaw dropped from the child's very 'intelligent' reasoning. Well, it is kind of true that guys were supposed to be cool looking while girls appear pretty, but there are girls who appear cool and guys that appear pretty, right? Wait… scratch that… Guys are not supposed to look pretty!

Naruto kneeled down to at eye level with Sasuke before speaking

"Listen here kid" he started while his eyebrows continued to twitch "I'm a GUY, G-U-Y. I'm a hundred percent male and I DO NOT look PRETTY"

"Yes you do" the small raven retorted. "You look pretty and you look good together with my brother"

Kaze wanted to bang the little guy's head on the wall while Itachi watched, amused about the pair's conversation. He took a glance of the blond and has to admit that he do, in fact, look very appealing to the eyes.

Itachi was certain that Kaze was indeed male, but if you look at him at certain angles, he could be easily mistaken as a girl.

An attractive one at that.

Wait…

What was he thinking? Itachi shook his head mentally. There's no way that he is attracted to him. For one, the blonde's a guy. Two, he's certain that he's asexual and has no interest to start a relationship anytime soon.

Sighing, he watched Kaze and his brother bicker non-stop, arguing about the blonde's gender.

-o-o-o-

While somewhere in the Hokage tower, two Hokage's were trying to catch their breaths as they have been laughing non-stop ever since Kaze has stated arguing with the young Uchiha.

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

Well that took a long time.

Read and Review! XD


	6. Fitting In

Sorry for the long wait. School requirements and plot bunnies escaping their cages prevented me from writing. XD

Also, thanks for all those who reviewed. You guys really made me happy. XD

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one-sided SasuNaru

Flames are not welcomed.

**Note: **I am not that good in grammar so don't flame me about it. I have no beta so that's that.

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sent him back into an alternate past, making him face new and familiar dangers, emotions, and events. Will this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or will it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

**A/N: **Remember that older!Naruto is Kaze in this fic.

**Age:**

Older!Naruto – 13

Itachi – 14

Members of the rookie nine – 4

Gai's team - 5

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter Six – Fitting In**

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

A young male clad in simple civilian clothing dashed through numerous shadows to avoid detection. Currently, he's in an alleyway, his back parallel to the walls and was taking short glances outside to see any signs of danger.

He took a glance at his left, then at his right. Satisfied of what he saw, or what he didn't see, he gave out a sigh of relief. He slumped down to the ground as he was exhausted from running away from the impeccable danger that was chasing him all day.

A bead of sweat glistened down his cheek and he wiped it off with the sleeve of his shirt. Not sensing any threat, he took that time to rest and to regain his lost energy.

He had no idea how it happened, but the moment he set foot out of the Uchiha compound early that morning, he had sensed impending doom moving towards his way.

Yes, he can remember it all too clearly…

-o-o-o- Flashback

_A young male stirred within the comforts of his warm blankets the moment the sun showered his face with its light. He turned around to block it out and hoped to get some more shut eye but alas, sleep refused to embrace him._

_He sat up grudgingly, stretched his well rested muscles and popped a few joints. Scratching his head, he got up, folded his futon carefully before putting it away, and gathered new fresh clothing and some toiletries and proceeded towards the bathroom._

_After a refreshing bath, he got dressed in a pair of black, loose pants and a high collared blue shirt and decided to have a small walk around town. He was greeted warmly by the early morning risers of the compound and he greeted back. The warm smiles, the happy greetings, everything felt right for the young male._

_He then decided to expand his 'small' walk and headed towards the main entrance of the Uchiha compound which overlooks a part of the village of Konoha._

_Refreshed, relaxed, and happy, he made a step forward_

_But the moment his foot was placed securely beyond the gates, a chill suddenly crept up his spine, making him shiver involuntarily._

_He had no idea what had just happened but he was certain that he was not cold at that time._

_The feeling of uneasiness overwhelmed him as he started to look around for the possible source of such uneasiness._

_So far, nothing_

_-rustle-rustle--_

_His eyes wide open; he slowly turned his head towards the direction of the source of those sounds. Keeping his eyes locked on some bushes, he waited, and for sure, it moved._

_-rustle-_

_He stepped back. His shinobi senses flaring from the sight of incoming danger. A cold sweat trailed down his lightly tanned skin as he watched the bush take motion once again._

_Before anything could happen, the young male ran. Strangely enough, the 'bush' ran after him_

-o-o-o- End of Flashback

For the civilians, it was a really funny scene to watch, a young man being chased around by a 'bush'. No matter where the young male hid, the 'bush' would find him minutes later.

This little antic has been going on for over an hour and it was beginning to annoy him.

Why wouldn't he be?

Of the entire month that he has been staying in Konohagakure, these little buggers have been stalking him all morning every single day.

He has no idea why they were doing this to him, but he has experienced first hand what would happen once he was caught, although he can't remember what exactly happened to him at that time (maybe from the trauma).

But he was determined to never let that happen again

But at that exact moment

He made a crucial mistake

He was so deep in thoughts about the past 'stalking' that he didn't notice the 'bush' situated just beside him.

When he heard the rustling of leaves, his eyes became as wide as saucers.

He slowly turned his heard towards the source of the noise which was the 'bush' that was sitting comfortably next to him.

'_Oh no…'_

He was about to stand up and make a run for it when the said vegetation suddenly pounced.

"GYAAAAAA!!!!"

All civilians on the street at that time shifted their attention towards the commotion. Some were curious, others sighed, and a few smiled at the scene before them.

The male who was hiding in the alley way minutes ago currently has his face on the ground with a 'bush' sitting comfortably on his back.

Tiny giggles were emitted from the piece of vegetation, earning it looks of confusion and disbelief from those who have never seen this before while others just smiled at the familiar scene.

"Ugh…" the young man groaned

More giggles were emitted

"Get off…"

The 'bush' complied and positioned itself next to the young male. As the man got up, some of the passerby's blushed after getting a good look at him. Whispers like 'pretty', 'cute', and 'girl' can be heard from the crowd but the young male ignored it.

Without warning, the green vegetation was engulfed in a puff of smoke, making the male cough from being so close to it.

When the smoke finally subsided, it revealed two grinning kids, one was blond and the other was a brunette

"Play ninja with us!" the pair demanded in a yell

The male rubbed his earning, wincing from the deafening scream- er… yell of the two boys.

"Alright! Alright, you win!"

"Yes! Thank you! Kaze-**nee**-chan!" the two boys said simultaneously, ignoring the twitching vein present on the older male's forehead

"Nee-chan!-? I'm a GUY!!!" the man exclaimed, ignoring the shocked faces of the crowd watching them.

"No way… she's a guy?" a villager asked his companion in a not-so-whisper-like voice

"That can't be true… she's too cute to be a guy…"

Veins continued popping on his forehead as the murmurs and whispers increased. It appears that they completely forgot the fact that the one they were talking about was just in front of them.

And this was completely pissing him off.

Deep within his mind, he was planning all sorts of pranks he could think off as a form of revenge for mistaking him as a girl.

Oh yes, all kinds of pranks which involved strings, a few kunai, a bag of shuriken, some paint balls, a box of frogs, snakes, insects, and all other small rodents, electric and explosive tags (yes, he's going to use those), itching powder, bright neon paint (especially the pink one), and many other stuff.

With a malicious glint in his eyes, he kept his head down as he started to plan on how to plant all those traps- er pranks. He was so into it that he was emitting a dark aura of vengeance which scared the passerby's.

Luckily for the kids, they were extremely naïve about this kind of situation so they approached him without fear

"Kaze-nee-chan! Play Ninja with us! Everybody else is waiting for us at training area 9 (made up). Sasuke and I finally managed to catch you so come with us!" the blond one whined

"Naruto is right. It has been agreed that once we catch you before lunch, you're going to help us train to become ninjas." The small raven explained

'_When in the world did we made such agreement!-?'_ the older blond wondered while gaping at them, amazed how these four-year-olds out-smarted him

"And how in the world am I gonna help you to become ninjas when I'm not even one?"

The two kids look at each other before responding.

"We play pretend" the small blond responded

"You will be the missing nin while we will be the ninjas who will be after you" the raven continued

"So in other words, it's 'hide and seek'?"

"YUP!!!"

"Alright. You guys win. So lead the way"

"Yay!!! Thanks Kaze-**nee**-chan!!!"

"Its **nii**-chan you brats!!!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Uzumaki Kaze was having a **really good** time playing 'hide and seek' with the kids.

The only thing he needed to do was hide while the brats seek.

Simple, right?

He expected that once he was found, they would restart the game again.

Easy, so he agreed.

When the kids, which consisted of a Hyuuga, a Rock, an Inuzuka, an Uchiha, a Kazama, an Aburame, a Nara, and an Akamichi, (all were boys) turned around and started the count, he wasted no time in hiding

Currently hidden in one of the tall trees, he waited for the kids to find him.

He was really surprised at first to find all these clan heirs to be well acquainted and close to one another.

It amazed him how the absence of Kyuubi and the continuous existence of the Yondaime Hokage had a huge impact on Konoha's future.

And seeing these kids all together made him realize how important the Yondaime really was to Konoha in his world

He snorted

'_Yeah… So it's kind of my fault that Konoha in my world is so messed up'_

'_You know that isn't true kit'_The great demon reasoned out

'_I know, but Konoha still put the blame on me for killing their great Hokage. Which made me wonder, do you think that they knew that he was my father? If they don't, do you think they would treat me differently?'_

'_I have no idea kit. Humans are very narrow-minded beings, especially those in Konoha'_

The blond sighed

'_Stay alert. Those brats are closing in on you.'_

Kaze stood up from his crouching position and pressed himself closer on the trunk of the tree. His heart was beating fast as he started to become nervous.

'_I can't believe I'm getting nervous over a small game, I wonder why…' _the blond mused

The great fox could only snicker at her vessel's predicament. She found it weird that the blond completely forgot what happened the last time he was caught.

And she was certain that it will happen again once the little buggers do manage to find him.

Sensing the little tuckers approaching, she quieted down, sat back, and waited for the show to start

Without warning, a kunai was thrown from the bushes below heading straight towards the blond. Because of his shinobi instincts, he ducked and was about to jump off when he was suddenly surrounded by bugs. He let himself drop off the tree with hopes of escaping the small insects but ended up getting attacked by more kunai and shuriken

Fearing for his life, he ran of, certain that those kids were on his tail.

'_This was supposed to be a 'hide and seek' game! Not a 'kill the pretending-to-be-a-missing-nin' game!!!' _the blond screamed mentally

Keeping in mind that he was supposed to be a simple civilian, he did not run at full speed to avoid suspicion. But that act had cost him greatly.

His decrease in speed enabled the faster children to catch up to him and tackle him to the ground. Wasting no time, the biggest of the group, Akamichi Chouji, positioned himself at their captive's back to prevent him from getting away.

Nara Shikamaru, the laziest one, also sat down on their captive's back and was later joined buy Inuzuka Kiba. Kazama Naruto was laughing hysterically as he added himself in the dog pile, adding to the discomfort of the now-immobile blond. Aburame Shino, the silent-type of the group watched the others before adding himself to the pile.

The kids who tackled him earlier, who were Hyuuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke, and Rock Lee, began tying up the blond with rope that they suddenly produced out of no where.

'_Now I remember why I don't like playing ninja with these brats' _the blond mused and winced when the rope was tied up too tightly.

Satisfied with their work, they began pulling the poor older blond towards the Hokage tower to report their success in capturing the supposed-to-be-missing-nin.

-o-o-o-o-o-

In the Hokage tower, the Yondaime Hokage was busy signing papers and reading documents and reports. He has been at it all day and it was irritating the hell out of him.

'_I wonder why I accepted this position in the first place… At least now I know why Sarutobi-sama was so eager to retire from his position'_

The blond Hokage sighed. He had been reading and signing papers the day after he was appointed as Hokage. To be honest, reading was fine for him, but what irritated him was that he has been reading reports, documents, requests, and complaints that can be considered as duplicates of the ones he has been reading for over five years!

'_Can't anyone from this village at give me a unique report that would at least interest me?'_

He took a folder from the top of a pile of other folders on his desk. After reading the first three sentences, he immediately crumpled the file and disposed it in his garbage bin before engulfing it into flames with a small katon jutsu.

'_Damn that council! There's no way that I will sign in half of the powers over the village to them. They'll just abuse it so that they could get more money into their pockets! The sad thing is that, I can't disband them unless I have strong physical proof of their corruption!'_

He sighed again. He was glad that none of the previous Hokage had given the council power over the village, because if that is the case, then Konoha would be facing problems that could risk the villagers' safety.

He loved the village dearly and there was no way that he would let any danger befall on it.

Speaking of the village, a representative from Cloud would be arriving the day after tomorrow for a peace treaty and for a possible alliance.

Konoha had not been in good terms with Cloud due to their demands and ways of ruling their people. Another reason was that Cloud wanted to conquer Konoha to increase their power but was not strong enough to succeed. So they resorted to trickery, betrayal, and stealing whatever they can.

This ongoing problem has been on Yondaime's mind and was glad that Cloud has finally decided to stop their selfishness and foolishness but there was still the uneasiness in his mind that something will go wrong.

He was about to venture further deep into his thoughts when the door to his office was suddenly opened.

He blinked, and blinked again before smiling at the familiar scene.

Uzumaki Kaze, a new citizen of the leaf who had the potential of being an excellent ninja, was currently bound with think ropes, gagged with a piece of cloth, and was being pulled by his captors which was composed of 8 boys

"HOKAGE-SAMA!!! WE CAUGHT A MISSING NIN!!!" Rock Lee yelled youthfully as he tugged the rope to pull their captive closer but ended up making the man trip and fall face-first with a loud thud

'_Ouch, that's gotta hurt' _the Hokage thought.

Mumbles could be heard coming from the tied-up blond. Arashi was certain that Kaze was trying to voice out various profanities he could think of but was unable to do so because of the gag.

"Umm, okay…"

"So do can we get our reward?" Naruto asked excitedly while his other friends just watched from the back.

The Hokage chuckled and proceeded to take out his wallet and give the boys their 'reward' for catching a 'missing nin'

Earning a five hundred ryou each, the boys left the office and had completely forgotten about their still-tied captive.

With the kids gone, Arashi approached the younger blond and began untying him.

"He-he, so they finally succeeded in catching you again." The man said

With the gag finally out of his mouth, Kaze responded.

"Jeez, thanks for stating the obvious." Earning him another chuckle from the man.

"It was supposed to be a simple game of 'hide and seek'! Not 'scare-the-hell-out-of-me, bound-me, gag-me, and-use-me-as-a-way-to-get-money' game!!!"

Arashi only laughed. He found it nice that Kaze had a sort of attraction to children. All the kids the young blond have encountered ended up liking him and wanting to play with him. It was also evident that Kaze like being with kids and playing with them as seen with his smiles and laughter.

But what unnerved the youngest Hokage was that there seemed to be some sort of 'fakeness' in the young male's laughs and smiles. It surprised him that no one was able to sense it.

He had no idea why but decided to just watch the blond interact with the villagers. To be honest, he was confused as to why he welcomed the boy to their village with open arms because if it was someone else, he would have a couple of Anbu trailing that person day in and day out.

He was certain that Kaze has no intention of harming anyone in the village so he didn't worry

Much

"So how would you handle the peace treaty with Cloud?" the younger blond asked

The Hokage could only give him a 'how-did-you-know' look.

"The villagers were talking about it" Kaze responded, as if reading the older male's mind.

"Oh… I guess I'll see first what kind of demands or requests they might make before I make a decision. By the way, have you decided if you want to become a shinobi of the leaf?"

Kaze shrugged.

"Dunno. I'm still not sure. But I'll give you my decision after the peace treaty with Cloud. I don't want to burden you with myself while you're worrying about the treaty."

A small smile graced the Hokage's lips. Kaze scratched the back of his head as he fidgeted under the gaze of the blond.

"Since the brats has already gotten what they want, I'll take my leave, Hokage-sama." With that, he bowed and left the office.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Tsunade has been working nonstop on the scrolls and artifacts that were collected from the ancient ruins.

She has been trying to decipher the encrypted codes and messages and was glad that she was making progress.

With her in her office were the members of rookie nine and Gai's team who were helping her understand the ancient scrolls.

It has already been over a month since Aka Furasshu's, AKA Naruto, disappearance and everyone in that room has been desperate in finding ways to get him back.

They have even returned to the said ruins to photograph the encrypted codes, symbols, and letters for their Hokage to study.

Finishing what the Hokage was writing on a scroll, she put her brush down and leaned back on her chair for a stretch, a sign that she had found or finished something.

The younger shinobi watched their leader relax her stressed muscles and waited for her to speak.

"I've finally broke the code." She started as she gazed at her subordinates who looked at her with great concentration

"We can get him back… but sadly there is a draw back…"

"What is the draw back, Hokage-sama?" The male Hyuuga asked

"Ten years… we have to wait ten years from the day he disappeared to get him back"

"Why is that? Why so long?" the Sharingan-wielder asked, obviously irritated

"Because it will take that long for the ruins to regain its natural energy. If we do the procedure while it is still weak, we might end up destroying it, therefore destroying our chance to bring him back."

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

That took long. XD

() wanna thank those who commented on my mistake. XD

Please Review XD

**A/N:**There was someone who was offering to be my beta but I can't remember who. So if you're reading this then please E-mail me. :D


	7. Shinobi of the Leaf

So, many readers has corrected me that it was Cloud, not Iwa (well, I did not know that this actually means Rock at that time), who planned to kidnap Hinata when she was three (although I really thought she was already four at that time) XD.

Thanks for the correction:D

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Title:** Past Healer Yaoi Version

**Warnings:** AU? OOC YAOI

**Pairings:** ItaNaru/ one-sided SasuNaru

**Author:** Tsukishiro

**Summary: **The past and the present were slowly killing the demon vessel from the inside. An incident sent him back into an alternate past, making him face new and familiar dangers, emotions, and events. Would this 'past' actually help him back to the light and get his real smile back or would it further send him into oblivion?

**Disclaimers: **Naruto never belonged to me! Not now not ever! (Sniff-sniff)

**A/N: **Remember that older!Naruto is Kaze in this fic.

This fic is Beta-ed by **Terriestal-angell**. I love you! XD

-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 7 – Shinobi of the Leaf

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

Uchiha Itachi, the youngest Anbu in history, the prodigy of the Uchiha clan, and a man of a few words (well he's actually a man of a single-syllabic word since all he says is 'hn' whenever he's in a conversation) sat lazily on a tree branch, hidden by its foliage.

He was currently watching his mission, or ward (which was more appropriate) who had been trying his best to avoid the little shinobi-in-training that have been using him as a source of entertainment, money, and training.

The raven Anbu found it amusing to watch the young red-streaked blond male hide from those kids and failed miserably. The young blond was always caught, bound and gagged in one way or another. He would then be brought to the Yondaime Hokage for their 'reward' for catching him.

If not, they would just tie him up, hang him up on a tree, and leave him there to see if the man would be able to get out of his binding on his own.

It was sad really... since Kaze's daily routine consisted of waking up, eating breakfast if he felt like it, hiding/avoiding the kids like the plague, doing some light exercises like jogging, eating lunch, hiding from the kids again, eating dinner, then sleeping.

To be honest, Itachi found it weird that the blond had tolerated the children's antics for so long.

If Kaze was like the other civilians, he would have already filed a restraining order to keep himself safe and sane from those shinobi-to-be dev-... err... children.

In fact, he caught glimpses of the man's face that said that he was actually 'enjoying' himself whenever he was playing ninja with those heirs, instead of being irritated from the constant pain he had to endure from it.

Itachi received another order from the Hokage to see if Kaze had any potential to become a shinobi of the leaf. So far, all the young raven saw was the blonde's amazingly long thread of patience and an abnormally high tolerance to pain, annoyance and irritation.

Kaze also seemed to be developing his stealth and hiding skills with the help of those children (who were completely oblivious about this) and was fast on his feet (since he needed to run to get away from them).

With these skills and some training, the raven was certain that the blond would become a fine shinobi for Konoha, but everything would depend on the blonde's decision – whether he would join them.

The young raven sighed. Watching the blond was entertaining but there were times that it became boring. All he had to do was stalk-err trail the guy all day long and watch.

Luckily, there would be a change in routine for tomorrow due to the peace treaty between Cloud and Leaf being held in the village, so he would be relieved from his long term mission, although temporarily, and be assigned to stay on guard in case anything would go wrong.

Sighing for the umpteenth time, he took glanced towards the blond who was now currently bound with thick ropes (again), gagged with a piece of cloth, and being dragged towards the Hokage tower for the seventh time that week.

'_To think it's only Wednesday.'_ The Anbu mused, getting up from his comfortable position on the branch of the tree to follow.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kaze can't believe what was happening.

It appeared that the young heirs of the different clans were getting better in locating and capturing him as days passed by.

Well, if he was serious, there was no way that those kids would be able to capture him, let alone find him. But knowing that there was always someone watching him, he had to keep his skills way below average.

He chuckled, wincing once in a while as he was dragged through the rough ground with ropes.

He was certain that if he was any other person, he would have lost his sanity by now. Instead, he was having fun watching the younger versions of his 'friends' try their hardest and best to get him.

It amazed him to see how fast these young boys were developing, from their speed, to their strategic thinking, to their strength. He was certain that with the right motivation, goal, dream and/or ambition, these kids would be great in the shinobi world.

'_Friends...'_

The thought made him frown. He found it hard to think of them as anything else but 'friends'. Sure he 'had' fun being and working with them in his **world**, but after that _mission_, everything had changed.

When his _friends_ were in need of his help, he was always there to lend a helping hand. He was always there willing to do anything for them to make them happy.

But when he was the one in need of help, none of them offered a hand.

None of them seemed to care.

When his deepest secret was revealed, he got glimpses of their faces, faces that were filled with fear, disgust and hate.

He had no idea why he trusted them so much. He had thought that they would accept him as 'Naruto' if ever they found out, or if ever he decided to tell them about his secret.

He had imagined them to be open-minded about his situation... for them to see him in a different angle than the adults who continued to hate and scorn him.

He was mistaken...

By the time those so-called 'friends' had realized their mistake, it was already too late.

Naruto had already broken all bonds connecting him to them.

He could not bring himself to care about anything that happened to them... he chanted that mantra to his head every time he saw them.

But for some strange reason, deep inside, he could not stop himself from caring about their well being.

He could not stop himself from wondering how they were, if they were alright, if they were safe.

Even after all that had happened, he still cared... maybe it's because of the fact that they were his 'first' friends.

He still saw them as 'friends'... not enemies, not acquaintances, not workmates... but friends; friends whom he could still trust.

'_No matter what I do, I can't seem to change my perspective of them. Deep inside I still see them as friends... no, maybe it's because **I** **want** us to be and remain friends. I guess it's understandable since I have always dreamed of having friends since I was a child...'_

Kaze broke out of his reverie when his head met with a sharp rock, injuring his tanned skin, drawing blood.

'_Shit... can't these kids be gentle? I'm the one suffering here!'_ the red-streaked blond wanted to voice that out to the world but the gag made it impossible.

He ignored the snicker his 'tenant' was making.

He mentally sighed. He turned his head upwards so he could see the boys dragging him towards their 'money tree'.

He found it nice to see all the heirs smiling, laughing and enjoying themselves, while in his world seeing them smile altogether was a **rare** event.

'_For Neji and Sasuke to interact with each other this closely in my world will be when hell freezes over. Everything is so different.'_

He then turned his gaze to the unending blue of the sky, basking himself with its vastness.

'_Then maybe... it was good that I got here... so I can start a new life... not as the demon incarnate, not as the monster they always labeled me to be... but as Uzumaki Kaze, the new citizen and shinobi of the Leaf.'_

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kazama Arashi was frantically struggling with the numerous files, papers, and documents that littered on his desk.

Scribbling furiously on each and every paper, he was determined to finish everything in an hour, which was impossible as there were over five stacks of papers, each approximately five feet tall.

Sarutobi found his successor's determination to finish so many documents in under an hour amusing and humorous.

Arashi had his butt planted on his chair, situated very close to the desk. Both arms were on the desk, on one hand a pen while the other served as support to his body.

The blonde's Hitai-ate was currently tied loosely around his neck while a white strip of cloth with the kanji 'I CAN DO THIS!!!' printed on it was tied around his forehead.

The Sandaime resisted the urge to laugh from the young Hokage's facial expression. Cerulean blue eyes were concentrated on the document at hand while his lips extended from one side with his tongue poking out like a child.

The blond may be a grown man of over twenty and a father at that, but he can still be childish at times.

All that stopped when the door to the office suddenly banged open.

The two Hokage, not surprised from the dynamic entrance, turned their attention to the new comers and sighed from the familiar sight.

"You captured him again?" Arashi asked, happy from the smiles that graced each child's lips.

Each child gave him an affirmative nod and at the same time offered their hand for their 'reward'.

'_I wonder what they do with the money they get from me. I am certain that my son will use it for food, especially ramen.'_ The young Hokage mused as he handed out the bills.

Once all the boys left, Sarutobi, feeling pity for the young blonde's predicament, got off from his seat and released Kaze from his bindings.

"Dang! Don't those kids get tired from chasing me every single day!-? And they should be gentle! I'm the one getting dragged here!" the young blond complained, earning him chuckles of amusement from the two leaders.

"Well, they are training to be Shinobi, and we all know that shinobis are not supposed to be **gentle** with their **catch**." Arashi retorted.

"I know that, but of all the targets they can choose why me!-? I didn't do anything to them!"

Arashi shrugged, turning his attention back to the pile of papers he had to finish.

"But you enjoyed it, right?" the oldest of the three stated.

Kaze stared at the old man for a few moments before shifting his gaze to the floor.

"Yeah... I guess." was Kaze's only reply.

"But I wonder... why do you find it enjoyable? If it was any other villager, they would have complained to us by now, but you seem to tolerate everything those children do to you."

"I dunno... maybe it's because I never had the chance to play with other children when I was little..." he murmured, but it was loud enough for the two Hokage to hear.

'_I thought he was living alone in the forest?'_ Arashi wondered, certain that the Sandaime had caught it as well.

Arashi stopped writing, wanting to listen to the conversation of the two. The sadness emanating from Kaze's voice was enough to keep him from multitasking.

"Why is that? Aren't there any other kids around you when you were young?" the old man asked, finding this revelation disturbing.

A sad smile graced the red-streaked blond male.

"There were... a lot actually... but..."

"But what?"

Kaze eyes widened for a moment before he shook his head, a huge grin planted on his face as he faced the two leaders.

"It's nothing. I'd better be going now. I'm sorry if I had held you from your work." With that, the younger blond left, leaving the two Hokage to ponder on what they had just heard.

"I wonder what kind of childhood Kaze had... from the way he looked, I can say that it was not nice."

Arashi could only nod, solemn expressions marring their faces.

While outside, just by the window, a raven Anbu stood quietly, processing everything he had just heard minutes ago into his head.

-o-o-o-o-o-

'_Damn! I can't believe I slipped! I must have been too deep in my thoughts when I was answering jiji's (1) questions!'_

'_There's nothing you can do about it kit. They will find out everything about you, one way or another.'_ The great nine-tailed fox stated.

'I know that.'

'_Then stop worrying. They already sensed your slip up but they didn't do anything. They didn't see you as a threat at all. Besides, you have something bigger to worry about, like that **'event'** that will happen tomorrow night.'_

'_I know. I'll get ready. I won't let **him** suffer in this world. But are you sure that it will happen?'_

'_I don't know kit. But it's better to be **there** if it happens.'_

'_I understand... thank you Kyuu.'_

'_You're welcome kit.'_

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was late at night, all the shinobi, save for a few who were in guard duty at that time, and civilians were already asleep within the confines of their homes.

Everyone was exhausted from the day's events, which consisted of a long parade held for the representative of Cloud for the peace treaty and alliance with the Leaf, and a small festival.

But unknown to everyone, Kaze was situated within the thick foliage of an old tree, hiding. He sat quietly as he watched the compound below, which belonged to one of the biggest clans of the village.

He was wearing a pair of black shorts and navy blue shirt, perfect for camouflage in the darkness of the night. But because of his bright blond hair, he had to wear a bandana to keep himself hidden from attentive eyes.

He sighed. It was already past midnight and he had been sitting there, doing nothing for over an hour now, waiting for something to happen.

'_Maybe it's not going to happen in this world...'_ the blond wondered.

He looked around, scanning the area to make sure that no one was there to see him.

Kaze was glad that Itachi, his 24/7 'guardian' was given a break from watching over him, giving him temporary freedom.

Or so he thought, oblivious to the pair of onyx orbs watching him from a distance.

A sudden movement in the bushes caught the blonde's attention. He got up and pressed himself closer to the trunk of the tree, certain that whatever, or whoever made that noise would be headed his way.

And sure enough, a man emerged from the bushes, carrying an unconscious child on one of his arms.

Kaze, using his sharp vision (thanks to Kyuubi), studied the unknown individual.

The man was garbed in shinobi attire, his face unidentifiable due to the mask he wore, and a hitai-ate was tied around his forehead with the symbol of Cloud engraved on it.

And on his arms was the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan, Hinata.

'_Bingo!'_

The Cloud Nin scanned his immediate surrounding, looking for any possible signs of being detected. Finding none, he went on his way, completely oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching him.

'_There's my prey, it's about time I start the hunt.'_ Kaze thought, dashing quietly from tree to tree to follow the foreign Nin while still oblivious to the other pair of eyes watching them both.

Because of Kaze's speed, even though he was silent, he was unable to prevent the wind it caused, resulting in the rustling of leaves around him.

The noise alerted the Cloud Nin of his presence, making him stop. The man was unnerved; he was certain that there was someone watching him, but he could not detect him.

"Who's there!-? Show yourself!" he demanded, placing the unconscious heiress on the ground.

'_Dang! I got caught... oh well.'_

Kaze left his hiding place from the shadows of the trees and let himself fall to the ground.

He stared at the man impassively, annoying the foreign Nin with his silence and staring. The man got pissed further when a smirk graced the blonde's lips.

"My, my, what do we have here? A Cloud Nin kidnapping a small child?"

"Who are you? What do you want?" the Nin demanded, unnerved by the blonde's amusement.

"Hmm... I dunno." He simply answered with his head looking up and a finger positioned under his chin, further irritating the man before him.

'_Is this kid a nutcase?' _the cloud Nin wondered.

"Well, since you asked me a question, it's my turn to ask." He stated, abandoning his goofy look with a serious expression.

"Huh?"

"What do you plan on doing with Hina-chan (2)? Is the Raikage that desperate to learn the secrets of the Byakugan to the point of faking a peace treaty and use it as a distraction for kidnapping? Hmph, so even great leaders will stoop that low to get what they want."

"Shut up civilian if you know what's best for you! Well, since you're a witness, it would be best for me to dispose of you."

The Cloud Nin positioned himself and pulled out a kunai from his holster. He was determined to bring the Hyuuga heir to the Raikage without trouble so he planned for a quick, clean death for the civilian.

Deeming himself ready, he sprung from his position and charged head on, not noticing the knowing smile on the blonde's face.

As the man got close, he thrust his kunai forward, aiming for the heart but was shocked to see the young male dodge with relative ease.

'_WTF!-?'_

He turned around and attacked repeatedly, still missing the male who was only making him go around in circles.

The man took out more kunai and some shuriken from his holster and began throwing them at the blond, aiming for all vital parts of the blonde's anatomy. But to his dismay, Kaze dodged it all with ease while smiling, unnerving the man.

Loosing his cool, the man stepped back, putting his hands together to form signs for a jutsu.

The man hidden in the darkness saw this and was about to intervene when he saw the blond stare at the Cloud Nin with no fear whatsoever.

'_Maybe I should just watch and see how this turn out...'_ the unknown man thought.

After forming over twenty seals, the Cloud Nin was about to cast the jutsu when the young male suddenly disappeared in a flash of red light, surprising both him and the man hiding in the dark.

'_W-what w-w-was that!-? T-that was the Hiraishin-no-jutsu.'_ The man thought, panicking.

'_Wasn't that the Hiraishin-no-jutsu of the Yondaime? And I thought Kaze-san only know the teleportation jutsu and nothing else? Is he a spy?'_ the unknown figure thought.

The Cloud Nin suddenly felt something cold pressed on his skin. Behind him was Kaze, holding a kunai, which had originally belonged to him, pressed closely to his jugular.

"W-w-who a-are you?" the man stuttered, worried for his own life.

"Who? Me? Why I'm just a civilian who suddenly decided to take a walk into the forest."

Without warning, Kaze pressed a pressure point behind the man's neck, rendering him unconscious in an instant.

Taking out some rope, he tied the man securely on a tree before removing the mask that covered his face.

"The Raikage's own brother? _–Snort-_ figures."

Kaze, after removing his bandana, turned his attention to the unconscious heiress, checking her for any injuries before carrying her towards the Hyuuga compound.

The movement had awoken the young child as she stared at the blond with confused eyes.

"Hi there Hinata-chan." The male greeted warmly.

The girl blinked.

"Kaze-nee-chan?"

Kaze faulted on the ground, face first, muttering 'I'm a guy' and 'why me' under his breath.

The man hiding from a distance heard the girl's words and chuckled mentally.

"It's Kaze-**nii-chan**, I'm male." Kaze explained which only earned him a more confused look from the young child.

"I give up! Call me whatever you want!" Kaze stated dejectedly, not noticing the twinkle in the girl's eyes.

Finally noticing where they were, Hinata began to ask.

"Kaze-nee-chan, where are we? What are we doing here?"

'_It's **Nii-chan** for crying out loud!!!'_ He mentally screamed

"Well, I saw some evil man trying to kidnap you so I beat the hell out of him and saved you." He answered, not bothering to lie.

"Why did you save me?" the young girl asked, amazed from the revelation.

Kaze could only smile from the Hyuuga's question.

"Well, you're my little princess and I'm a knight. So it's my duty to save you from the clutches of evil."

Hinata giggled, somewhat happy from being called a princess.

"Thank you." She said, planting a kiss on the blonde's cheek before snuggling to his chest to sleep.

"You're welcome, Hinata-chan."

Kaze stealthily got into the Hyuuga compound and headed straight towards the heiress' room. After tucking the small child in her futon, he snuck out, and just in time too because minutes later, Hizashi, Neji's father, checked her room to see if she was there.

Happy that his friend was no longer in danger, Kaze left the compound and walked towards the Uchiha compound to sleep.

On his way, he suddenly sensed a chakra signature.

'_Itachi? He's awake?'_

Kaze stopped on his track and waited for Itachi to appear.

Itachi stood in front of Kaze, blocking his way towards the Uchiha compound with a serious look on his face.

"It appears that you were lying about everything, weren't you Kaze-san."

"So you saw everything?"

"Indeed. And I'm quite amazed that you knew Yondaime-sama's Hiraishin-no-jutsu. Are you a spy?"

Kaze smiled.

"Do not worry; I'm not a spy at all. It is true that I did lie as it is for personal reasons. But I have no plans of doing any harm to this village."

"Then from what village are you from?"

"I am from Konoha and that is no lie."

"If you are indeed from Konoha, then how come no one here knows you?"

"It's a long story and I don't see any point in telling you. Don't be mistaken, it is just that I don't trust you enough to expose myself completely to you. I am certain that you too have secrets that you do not want others to know of, and I respect that, so please respect my privacy."

Itachi could only give him a calculating look. Everything the blond said was true. Privacy was extremely important to every person and he respected that.

Furthermore, he sensed no lie in all of the blonde's statements, meaning that he was no threat to anyone in the village. And the way he took care of the Hyuuga heiress was proof that he cared a lot for the village.

The raven male wanted to ponder more about this but he was already exhausted and needed rest. He would think about this tomorrow, determined to figure out everything about this man before him.

Giving out a sigh, he moved aside, giving Kaze a knowing nod which earned him a smile.

"Thank you, Itachi-san."

Those two small words were sincere and honest, which led Itachi to believe that he could trust the blond.

Giving him another nod, the pair walked quietly towards the Uchiha compound.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, Kaze stood quietly before the two great leaders of the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

The two adults waited patiently for the young blond to speak, eager to know what he might say.

"I have made a decision."

Arashi and Sarutobi stared at him, urging him to go on.

"I decided to be a shinobi of the leaf, to serve under you and to protect this village with my life."

-o-o-o-o-o-

-x-x-x-x-x-

**(1)** Remember that Naruto had always called Sandaime 'old man' ('jiji'/ oji-san).

**(2) **Naruto/Kaze had always interacted with children, so if he knew Neji, then he was bound to know Hinata. I was just unable to add that in the story.

**Tsukishiro's Corner:**

That concludes this chappy. XD

I want to know if you guys would want an Mpreg in this story. You can vote if you want it or not.

So voting will be open until chapter nine (yes, this will be a long multi-chapter fic. I think it will be more or less twenty chapters). Please vote only once so as to avoid confusion.

Thank you. XD

-Tsukishiro


	8. Appreciation

I want to say thank you to my concerned readers for informing me about the red button thing that will/might be implemented here in FF. I will be deleting parts from my stories and will only be keeping the first chapters, unless of course they contain adult content. I may transfer them to my AFF account once I get some time.

Again, thank you for telling me. 


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